This disclosure relates to hollow fan blades for use in gas turbine engines, for example. In particular, the disclosure relates to rib orientation within the fan blade and a process for determining the same.
A gas turbine engine typically includes a fan section, a compressor section, a combustor section and a turbine section. Air entering the compressor section is compressed and delivered into the combustor section where it is mixed with fuel and ignited to generate a high-speed exhaust gas flow. The high-speed exhaust gas flow expands through the turbine section to drive the compressor and the fan section. The compressor section typically includes low and high pressure compressors, and the turbine section includes low and high pressure turbines.
Thrust is primarily provided by the fan section in high bypass gas turbine engines used in commercial applications. As such, the fan blade design is an important component in the engine's design as these blades are highly stressed. In order to reduce the weight of the engine, composite, aluminum alloy and titanium alloy fan blades have been used. Tuning solid fan blades typically involves modifying the thickness and chord length of the fan blade airfoil.